Football returns to Philadelphia on Thursday night. The Eagles host the Steelers in their preseason opener, and while it's only the preseason, it's still football, and it's still the Super Bowl champions taking the field for the first time since that cold night in Minneapolis in February.

Preseason also marks a crucial point in time for many of the players on the Eagles roster. Philadelphia returns plenty of talent and depth from last year's championship squad, but there are a couple holes that need to be filled, and there are a couple players who want to show they can be contributors during a potential repeat bid.

We put together a list of seven players who are worth keeping an eye on during Thursday night's preseason opener. These players -- a group that skews toward second-year players who spent much of their rookie season watching -- are fighting for starting spots or roster spots and have the potential to make big moves during the next four weeks.

RB Donnel Pumphrey

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

What do the Eagles have in Donnel Pumphrey? No one's really sure. The former fourth-round pick spent last season on injured reserve after an underwhelming preseason in which he averaged 1.9 yards per carry and 5.5 yards per catch. The 5-foot-9 running back came out of San Diego State with the reputation of being a shifty back, but that didn't come through last season.

While it's only training camp, Pumphrey has looked good. He appears a little bigger, and he's been confidently knifing through holes in the offensive line while being active in the passing and return games. Pumphrey is in a stacked competition for the No. 4 running back spot -- Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood and Matt Jones also have plenty at stake Thursday night -- but Pumphrey might be the most curious member of that group.

CB Sidney Jones

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Sidney Jones, the touted second-round pick who missed all but one game last season in his return from a torn Achilles, appears to be the front-runner for the nickel cornerback spot, and he's had a solid camp. Jones, however, faces a tall task in replacing Patrick Robinson in the slot, and he remains a curiosity given the limited view fans have gotten of him in live action. He can boost his stock and secure the job in his competition with De'Vante Bausby on Thursday.